Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley is one of the fiercest defenders in the NBA, just like how Hall of Famer Gary Payton was during his playing career.
In an interview with Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype, Payton talked about Beverley and why the Clippers guard is a successful defender in today's NBA.
“If I played in this era, I would adjust to it,” Gary Payton said. “If I played now, the first thing I’d do is go straight to the referees and say, ‘Look, here’s how I’m going to play. Make sure you let me play defense. If you’re going to let them play offense, let me play defense.'
“It’s just like what Patrick Beverley is doing right now. He gets into you and, because the referees know what he’s doing and how he plays, they let him play. You just have to get to the point where the refs know how you play, so they adjust.”
Clippers fans love Beverley, who is the heart and soul of the team. He's averaging 8.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists on the season while shooting 42.1 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from beyond the arc and 61.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Beverley re-signed with the Clippers this past offseason on a three-year deal worth $40 million. The Chicago native also re-signed with Adidas on a new multi-year shoe deal in September. He doesn’t have a signature shoe with Adidas like Damian Lillard, James Harden and Derrick Rose, but he’s still one of the more high-profile players to have an endorsement deal with the company.
Beverley is one of the best perimeter defenders in all of basketball and plays with tremendous passion and grit every night for the Clippers.
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